Suspensory for undergarments



1 5 9 Examnef 2J f1; //UL/Z Sept 2 1941- G. J. wsu-1E 2,254,863

, SUSPENSORY FOR UNDERGARMENTS Filed April 22, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 1 Sept. 2, 1941. G. J. wElHE SUSPENSORY FOR UNDERGARMENTS Filed April 22. 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 examiner UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUSPENSORY FOR UNDERGARMENTS Gustav J. Weihe, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application April 22, 1940, Serial No. 330,832

(Cl. 12S-159) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to suspensories and is particularly directed to a suspensory adapted to be secured to and made an integral part of an undergarxnent.v

It is a well known fact that persons who are The garment itself is comprised of the usual body portion I having at its lower end and at each side thereof the openings 2 to receive the legs of the wearer. Between the leg openings 2 and at the bottom of the body portion is located forced to be on their feet for long periods at a 5 the crotch member 3. Around the top of the time are accustomed to wearing suspensories to body portion may be located the elastic band 4.

prevent fatigue and it is therefore a particular Referring now particularly to Fig. 4, the insert object of this invention to provide an underor suspensory element itself is indicated by the garment which has as an integral part thereof a numeral 5 and is preferably of the form shown suspensory of this nature to obviate the necessity therein. The sides 6 of this element are slightly of utilizing a separate one. convex as shown and terminate in inwardly Another object of the invention is the procurved edges I to provide the lower end 8 thereof. vision around the suspensory in the garment of At the upper end of the element 5 the spaced a channel within which a drawstring is placed so apart edges 9 extend inwardly toward each other that the tightness of the suspensory may be from the sides 6 for a short distance only and adjusted to suit the needs of the wearer. then extend downwardly and inwardly toward A still further object of the invention is the each other to form the edges III. The lower ends provision of a separate element cut in such a of these edges I0 are connected by the curved fashion so that when it is secured in place on the edge II so that before the suspensory is actually garment it will naturally form a bag-like strucformed and secured to the` garment there will ture. be provided in its upper end the space I2 bounded Other objects and purposes of the invention by the two inclined edges Ill and the opening I3 will appear more fully as the description proceeds, connected with the space I2 and bounded by the To the accomplishment of the foregoing and curved edge II. related ends, said invention, then, consists of the In actual practice, this suspensory element 5 is means hereinafter more fully described and parplaced so that the two edges I0 overlap slightly ticularly pointed out in the claims. The annexed and are then sewn together. It will be obvious drawings and following description set forth in that after this step has been taken, the susdetail, certain means for carrying out my invenpensory will assume a bag-like form, having an tion, said means constituting, however, but one opening I3 near its center. of various ways in which the principle of the in- After these steps have been taken and the elevention may be employed. ment or insert 5 has been formed into a bag-like In said annexed drawings, wherein like referstructure, the piece is placed within the body ence numerals refer to like parts 'throughout the 35 portion I of the garment at the inner side of the various views, front thereof so that the upper edges 9, which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of an underare now in a continuous line, will be located garment showing in dotted lines the suspensory adjacent the lower edge I5 of the elastic belt 4 of my invention in place thereon. and secured in place. The inwardly curved edges Fig. 2 is a. fragmentary elevation of the inner 40 1 thereof will then lie adjacent the hein surside of the front of the undergarment showing rounding the leg openings 2 and the lower end 8 the suspensory and more particularly the perthereof extends downwardly a short distance forated element therein. into the crotch portion 3.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section from front The suspensory then is secured in place to the to rear of the undergarment showing the apgarment in this position and by viewing Fig. 2 pearance thereof when in actual use, and it will be seen that an outer seam I6 is located Fig 4 is an elevational view of the suspensory ladjacent the outer edges 6 and follows the conelement before being secured to the garment. @OUT thereof dOWn 150 the edge 0f the leg DOltiOnS While in the preferred embodiment of my in- 2. The lower seam is indicated at I1 which is vention,Ihave disclosed a. suspensory as particuin the Crotch portion 3. Of course. the lower larly employed with undergarments commonly known as shorts, it'is to be understood that the invention may be employed equally as well with full length undergarments and so called union suits."

edge of the bottom portion 8 will also be secured to the garment as indicated at 8a.

Then, spaced inwardly from the seams I6, another seam I8 is placed which also secures the suspensory to the garment and which seam follows the contour of the seams I6 and I1 in the manner shown in Fig. 2. The space between the seams I6 and I8 and the seams I'I and I8 provides the c dnnuous channel I9 which also follows the contour of the various seams above mentioned.

Within the channel I9 is located the drawstring 20 and at the upper ends of the channel I9, which terminate at the elastic band 4, and at the inner side of the garment, the openings 2I are provided to permit the ends of the drawstring 2II to extend outwardly therethrough. It will then be seen that the wearer of the garment, by pulling upon the ends of the drawstring 2|] may adjust the suspensory to any desired tightness and may then tie the ends of the string together to hold the suspensory in this position.

It is contemplated that if the invention is applied to underwear of the so-called union suit type wherein a part of the garment also extends upwardly and around the shoulders, for convenience sake the openings 2| may be placed at the outside of the garment so that the drawstring 20 will be available from the outside instead of the inside as shown in the preferred embodiment of the invention.

It will be obvious that the use of an undergarment of this nature by those persons who are accustomed to using suspensories, will obviate the necessity of utilizing a separate suspensory. The invention is very practical and the manner in which it is formed and secured to the garment itself is very practical as well as economical.

It is not necessary that the suspensory element be attached at its edges to the undergarment completely around it but its intermediate portion between its upper and lower ends may be left unattached if desired. In this form of the invention the channel I9 will be continuous as before and the drawstring 20 will extend through the channel and will function in the same manner.

It is further conceived that the garment may be constructed without the use of a separate piece of fabric to form the suspensory element. In this form the suspensory portions is formed integral with the fabric of the garment and is surrounded by the channel I9 through which the drawstring extends.

Although the garment has been described as having the suspensory element located on the inside of it this element may be located on the outside of the garment if desired and otherwise conform to the foregoing description.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the structure herein disclosed provided, however, that the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I claim:

1. A suspensory adapted to be secured to the body portion of an undergarment comprising,`

an insert having edge portions extending downwardly from the upper edge thereof to provide two spaced apart upper edge portions with a cut-out portion therebetween, and means to secure said downwardly extending edge portions together to form a bag-like structure.

2. A suspensory adapted to be secured to the body portion of an undergarment comprising, an insert having two upper spaced apart edge portions, other edges extending downwardly and inwardly from the inner ends of said upper edge portions, and means to secure said other edge portions together to form a bag-like structure.

3. An undergarment comprising, a front portion, a suspensory element having a tapered opening at its upper portion, the respective edges of said tapered opening being brought together and connected to each other, the edges of said suspensory element being sewed to said front portion to provide a channel at the edges thereof and a drawstring located in said channel and having its ends projecting therefrom.

4. An undergarment comprising, a front portion, a suspensory element having a central opening and a tapered opening extending therefrom upwardly to the upper edge of said element, the respective edges of said tapered opening being brought together and connected to each other leaving a central opening, the outer edges of said suspensory element being sewed to said front to form a channel and a drawstring located in said channel and having its upper ends projecting therefrom.

GUSTAV J. WEIHE. 

